New Halyard ON-Q data show reductions in opioid consumption and length of stay following surgeries

14th May 2015

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Halyard Health has announced favourable clinical data supporting the use of the ON-Q Pain Relief System in anterior lumbar interbody fusions (ALIF). ON-Q is a non-narcotic elastomeric pump that automatically and continuously delivers a regulated flow of local anaesthetic to a patient’s surgical site or in close proximity to nerves. The data will be showcased in poster presentations at the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) Annual Meeting (14–16 May, Las Vegas).

Lead author Brian Vaughan, director of Acute Pain at Anesthesia Associates of Cincinnati and The Christ Hospital, USA, will present a poster, “Retrospective, controlled evaluation comparing pain management utilizing a bilateral continuous TAP block to pain management using bilateral liposomal bupivacaine TAP blocks following spine surgical procedures with an anterior approach,” which demonstrates that continuous transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks with ON-Q were shown to be superior to bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension (Exparel). The clinical study of 100 patients compared the efficacy of two techniques for the management of post-operative pain following ALIF surgery—a bilateral TAP block using bupivacaine liposome injection and a continuous TAP block using ON-Q.

Key findings include:

Opioid consumption was statistically reduced throughout the hospital stay, with reductions of 46%, 34% and 34% on days 1, 2 and total (respectively) in the ON-Q group.

Patients in the ON-Q group were able to go home from the hospital one day sooner than patients treated with bupivacaine liposome injection.

“When selecting post-operative pain management solutions, our number-one priority is to offer the best treatment options to our patients,” said Vaughan. “Our study found that ON-Q enables healthcare professionals to provide better pain management therapy to their patients for a longer period of time, allowing them to take less narcotics and return home from the hospital earlier than those treated with bupivacaine liposome injection.”